Cowboys And Butterflies
by Marymel
Summary: Nick introduces Jackson to two people very special to him.


**I don't own CSI, or Little Einsteins, but Jackson is my original character.**

**First new CSI of the year! And I'm celebrating with a new story!**

**Also...please read and review my story "Catching Up Over Lunch," pretty pretty please?!**

**I really like writing my "Jackson" stories, and I liked the interaction between Jackson and Nick in my story, "Hugs And Smiles When You Think Of Me." So I wondered what might happen if Jackson met Nick's parents. So, I had to write this story. Hope you all enjoy...and please review!**

Just a year ago, if you had told Nick Stokes that he would be spending a day off watching and enjoying a children's TV program, he would have laughed it off. But, on a chilly Wednesday, that's exactly what he was doing. Nick's godson and buddy, Jackson Sanders, was at Nick's house while his father Greg was testifying in court. So, while Nick's dog Sam was on the floor keeping a watch on his friends, Nick and Jackson were on the couch watching Little Einsteins, one of Jackson's favorite programs. Nick had to admit he was enjoying watching the program with Jackson and seeing the little boy play along with the show.

"Uncle Nicky, do you like music?" Jackson asked as he patted his lap along with the characters.

"Sure, I do," Nick said. He smiled as he watched Jackson conduct like one of the characters.

"Dat's Leo!" Jackson told Nick. "He likes to conduct, like dis!" Jackson moved his arms around like he was conducting music.

Nick laughed softly. "You know, he kind of looks like you, Jackson."

"Uh-huh, he has red hair, like me!" Jackson said. "But I don't have glasses like him!"

The two continued to laugh and watch the program when Nick's doorbell rang.

Nick looked at Jackson. "Who is that?"

"I dunno," Jackson said, shrugging his shoulders.

Sam barked at the door, wondering who was at his house. Nick wasn't expecting Greg for at least another hour, and he wasn't expecting anyone else. "Sam, stay!" Nick called. He looked out the peephole and smiled.

Jackson watched as Nick opened the door and greeted a man and woman with hugs and hellos, wondering who had come to visit.

"You told us you had a dog," the man said. "He's a handsome one." Jackson watched as the older man petted Sam.

"Yeah, this is Sam," Nick said, introducing the dog to the couple. Looking at the woman, he said, "I thought you guys weren't going to be here for another couple of days."

"Well, we thought we'd come early and spend a little more time with you," the woman said.

The older man glanced over and saw the little boy watching them from the couch. He smiled at Jackson. "Pancho, who's your guest?"

Nick smiled at Jackson and waved for him to join them. "It's okay, come here." The little boy slowly got off the couch and walked over to Nick. He hid behind his Uncle.

"Oh, hello," the woman whispered.

Nick smiled. "I told you I'm a godfather now, right?"

"Oh, yes," the woman answered. "Your dear friend Greg."

"Well, now you get to meet him. This is Jackson Sanders." He stepped aside so they could see the shy little boy. Nick knelt in front of Jackson. "It's okay," he told him. "Jackson, I want you to meet my mom and dad."

Jackson looked up at the grown-ups with wide eyes. "You Uncle Nicky's mommy an' daddy?"

"Yes, we are," the woman said. "My name's Jillian. And you have such pretty red hair."

Jackson smiled. "Thank you."

"How ya doing, Jackson?" the older man extended his hand and Jackson shook it. "I'm Bill."

"Hi," Jackson said. "Are you a cowboy?"

"Well, kind of," Bill answered. "We have a ranch with some horses, so I guess that kind of makes me a cowboy."

"Uncle Nicky an' me, we watch a football game wif cowboys," Jackson explained.

"Oh, you root for the Cowboys, too?" Bill asked. Jackson nodded and smiled.

Nick lifted Jackson into his arms. "Yeah, he likes to watch football sometimes."

"Well, it's so great to finally meet you, Jackson," Jillian told the little boy. "You know, your daddy's a really good man." Jillian and Bill had met Greg when Nick had been kidnapped eight years ago, and saw him again when they came to visit Nick just after Warrick's death. They thought very well of the younger CSI.

"Yeah, an' he looks like me!" Jackson proudly told them.

The four of them spent much of the afternoon talking and getting to know Jackson. Nick had told his parents that Jackson's mother was a CSI that had worked with the team for just a year, and might not have ever told Greg about his son if she hadn't killed an undercover cop. But he also stressed that Jackson had grown so much since his father had gotten sole custody, and that father and son loved each other very much.

"So, Jackson," Bill asked. "Do you like football?"

Jackson nodded. "Uncle Nicky plays football wif me an' my daddy sometimes."

"Yeah," Nick said. "But Jackson also likes baseball."

"Really?" Bill asked. "You know your Uncle Nick here played ball in college."

"You did?" Jackson asked Nick.

"Yeah," Nick told him.

Jackson smiled at Nick's parents. "My daddy an' me play baseball together. An' sometimes we go to da park an' I look for bugs!"

Nick laughed softly. "Yeah, our nickname for him is Grissom Junior, since he likes to study bugs like Grissom."

Jillian and Bill laughed softly. Jackson smiled. "Yeah, an' I 'specially like butterflies."

"Oh, they're very pretty," Jillian said. "Do you ever watch them in your backyard?"

"Yeah! An' sometimes I watch 'em here," Jackson said.

Jillian smiled. "Your Uncle Nick here, he used to love to watch butterflies when he was about your size."

"Yeah?" Jackson asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Bill said. "It didn't surprise me too much when he told us he was the lab's new bug guy. When he was a little bit bigger than you, there was a caterpillar that made a cocoon right outside our back door."

Nick smiled. "I'd forgotten about that."

"Oh, yeah," Bill said. "You and your sisters checked that every day, wondering when the butterfly would come out."

Jackson looked at Bill with wide eyes. "Did it come out?"

"Yes it did," Bill said with a smile. "One day, Nick and two of his sisters shouted for their mom to come to the back door."

"I remember," Jillian said. "And we saw a pretty orange and black butterfly spread it's wings and fly away." She smiled at her son. "You and Josie and Samantha just watched up at the sky for the longest, wondering where the butterfly would fly off to."

"Uncle Nicky, did da butterfly eber come back?" Jackson asked.

"No, it never did," Nick told him. "I think maybe it was happy we let him use our house for it's cocoon, and happily flew away to live it's own life."

Jackson thought for a moment. "Maybe da butterfly said 'thank you', cause you were nice to him."

The adults smiled at the sweet little boy. "Maybe he did," Nick said.

Greg knocked at the front door. "Hello?"

"Daddy!" Jackson said as he rushed into his arms. Greg smiled as his son wrapped his arms around him for a big hug.

"Hello, Greg," Jillian said. Bill nodded to the younger man.

"Jillian! Bill! Hello," Greg said as he held Jackson on his hip. "I see you've met Jackson."

"He's wonderful," Jillian said.

"He really is," Bill said. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Looking at Jackson, he said, "You being good for Uncle Nicky?"

"Daddy, Uncle Nicky likes butterflies, too!" Jackson said. "He had a caterpillar on his house! An' dat became a butterfly!"

"It did?!" Greg asked.

"Yeah, when I was, what?" Nick looked at his parents. "Six, seven maybe?" Jillian nodded.

"An' he plays baseball, like you daddy," Jackson told Greg.

"Nah," Greg said. "I didn't play baseball in school like your Uncle Nicky. I just like playing with you." Greg tickled Jackson's ribs, causing him to laugh.

"I like to play wif you, too!" Jackson told his father.

Greg laughed softly as he set Jackson on the floor. He smiled as Jackson clambered into Nick's lap and hugged his godfather. "Thanks again for doing this, Nick. I'm sorry it was such short notice."

"Oh, no problem," Nick said as he watched Jackson with his parents. "Case go okay?"

"Yeah," Greg said. "Defense lawyers can be a royal pain, but we still have truth on our side."

"You know what?" Bill asked Jackson. "I think maybe someday your Uncle Nick can bring you to Dallas, where we're from. What do you think?"

"Yeah!" Jackson said. "You have horsies?"

"Yes we do. We have horses and dogs."

"Doggies like Sam?" Jackson asked as he patted Sam's head.

"No, these doggies are golden retrievers. Have you ever seen one of them?" Jackson shook his head.

Jillian reached for her purse and pulled out a small photo album. "Here, Jackson. These are our horses. That's Lola Jane, and that's Silverstar."

Jackson looked at the photo with wide eyes. "Wow, real horsies!"

"Uh-huh." Jillian pointed to another picture. "And that's our two dogs. That's Chloë and Schroeder."

"Dey pretty," Jackson said with a smile.

"He loves animals," Greg told them.

"Yeah!" Jackson agreed. "Sometimes, my daddy an' me go see Aunt Sara an' Hank, too!"

"Hank's her dog," Greg told Nick's parents.

"Yeah, an' when I stay wif Uncle Doc, I play wif his kitty!" Jackson happily told them.

"You do?" Jillian asked the excited child.

Jackson nodded and smiled. "Yeah, Cinders...dat's da kitty...she likes to chase a ball an' jump!"

Jillian smiled. "I'll bet."

Jackson smiled at Greg. "Daddy, can we go to Dallas an' see dere amials?"

Greg laughed softly. "Not today, but if your Uncle Nick's mom and dad don't mind, maybe we will."

"Hey, Jackson?" Bill asked. "Did you know that your Uncle Nick knows how to ride a horse?"

Jackson gasped softly and looked at Nick. "You do?!"

"Yeah," Nick said. "I learned to ride when I was a little bigger than you, but I haven't ridden a horse in a long time."

Greg smiled at his best friend. "Well, you know what they say...you've just gotta get back on an' keep riding."

Nick rolled his eyes and smiled. "I think that's if you fall off a horse."

"Uncle Nicky, can you teach me to ride a horsie?" Jackson asked.

Nick chuckled. "It's been so long since I've been on one...my dad may have to teach both of us."

Bill laughed. "Maybe. At least you can feed them some carrots."

"Dey eat carrots?" Jackson asked. "My daddy an' I like carrots."

Everyone enjoyed visiting with each other, and Bill and Jillian really enjoyed meeting Jackson. It was clear to them that the little boy loved his Uncle Nicky, and Nick adored him.

"So, how long are you in town?" Greg asked Bill and Jillian.

"Just until Tuesday," Bill said. "I have to attend a conference, and we wanted to spend some extra time with Nick."

"You not gunna stay?" Jackson asked.

Jillian smiled warmly at the sweet child. "No, sweetheart. We have to get back to our family and work in Texas. But I know Nick has our address and emails, and we'd love to visit with him and you more."

"Yeah?" Jackson asked.

Greg smiled. "You know, they want to see your Uncle Nicky and visit with him. But I don't think they'd mind us treating them to dinner."

"Can we?" Jackson eagerly asked.

"Sure," Greg told him. "Nick and I both have tomorrow night off, so how about dinner?"

"Oh, we'd love to," Jillian said. "If you promise to bring this sweet boy." She smiled at Jackson.

Jackson giggled. "Den can you tell me more about your horsies an' doggies?"

"Sure we will," Bill agreed.

Greg and Nick laughed softly. Nick stood up. "I hate to cut this short, but I do have to get ready for work, myself."

"Yeah, and I gotta take him to Mrs. Barbara's for the night," Greg said.

"Mrs. Barbara's my daddy's boss," Jackson said.

Greg laughed softly. "She's daddy and Uncle Nick's boss' wife," he explained. Jillian and Bill smiled and nodded.

Jackson hugged Bill and Jillian both before hugging Sam and giving Nick a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Uncle Nicky, now dey can hug you an' tuck you in!" Jackson said. All the adults laughed softly.

"I don't know about tucking in," Nick said. "But I do love seeing them again."

They made plans to meet for dinner the next night, and Greg and Jackson said goodbye and left.

After they left, Jillian turned to Nick. "That is the sweetest little boy."

"Yeah, he is," Bill agreed. "He's lucky to have you, Pancho."

Nick smiled at his father's compliment. "Thank you."

Jillian and Bill both smiled. Jillian hugged her son and whispered, "Now, if you could give us a sweet grandson like him!"

Nick simply rolled his eyes and laughed softly.

**The End.**


End file.
